It starts with assumptions ….. If you assume that what was done at merdeka was wrong and that it was a Malay country that somehow allowed bond to become citizens and that this must be corrected now the this article is irrelevant !
Instead of being side-tracked by questions of Yingluck’s English ability (is Prayuth’s better?) – let’s get back to substantive issues. Essentially what Prayuth is saying is : disenfranchise the poor, and that means the bulk of Isaarn. But he’s obviously NOT so confident tht he has the situation under control there – or indeed over much else of the country, hence his long delay lifting martial law (not even in tourism-earning Chiang Mai). Fact is his coup, and removal has opened a power vacuum. At the remote village level – and elsewhere – in Isaarn, this is now rapidly being filled by the secessionist movement which raised its head in Yingluck’s latter-days. While more broadly Prayuth – having promising so much, and now pontificating so much – has to watch his self-acknowledged “back-pain”, not to mention “black magic”, for every possible stab-in-the-back, while Thai State fissures become ever more obvious – eg. Wongtheyan rival officer faction, Crown Prince’s Lanna-Isaarn army, ubiquitious “water-melon” soldiers. And even Sondhi Limthongkul’s PAD-inclined Manager group !
р╕Бр╕▓р╕ер╕░ (gala) is time. р╣Ар╕Чр╕ир╕░ (desa) is place. Altogether, р╕Бр╕▓р╕ер╣Ар╕Чр╕ир╕░ (galadesa) means ‘place and time’ or propriety, suitability, circumstance, balance, and the like.
As elites have existed for so long in Thailand and the region, the word can be applied to defend our traditionally convenient practices in the ASEAN way.
Human beings must know galadesa and be aware of galadesa when doing things no matter what. What is the detailed component of galadesa? The answer is that it depends on place and time!!! But, the true application of galadesa is to follow the elites or anyone who is looked up to as though they are a good person (р╕Др╕Щр╕Фр╕╡) because they have inherited the right to interpret the meaning according to place and time.
This word is a Thai rhetorical weapon to maintain the establishment and enhance pride in our unique history and cultures. Galadesa trumps all western and global versions of the rule of law, democracy, inequality, justice, honesty, development, etc. Today, Thailand is under a government making happiness for all because of the galadesa–guaranteed by the elites and good guys.
Last but not least, ambiguity is perhaps the real meaning of galadesa. If one day, Thailand and the region can be prosperous and peaceful, we would claim that we do things according to our galadesa, not western values.
Jambu is the name of a fruit but now means hot young man. Everyone know the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar is full of jambus and they all have their abangs (big brother).
Katak means frog in Malay but now if you say a politician ‘kataked’ means he jumped between parties in an unscrupulous manner. A lot of politicians in Sabah kataked in the 1994 elections.
KadazanDusun word ‘aramai-ti’ from Sabah/Malaysian Borneo means cheers. Must be pronounced with gusto. Made popular by visiting (huge) Indonesia street punk band Marginal who spread the word through Indonesia and also Japan. Attached is a Youtube video of them singing the song recorded in Ranau – a town at the base of Mt Kinabalu in Sabah. I’ve witnessed this song being sung by Japanese punks at a beach picnic in Japan (long after Marginal finished their Japan tour) ‘Aramaiti!’ often used there now instead of ‘kampai!’ especially with visiting Malaysian and Indonesian punk friends http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPpyg3L5_n0
sayang is a great word! changes in meaning with inflection – in Filipino Tagalog means such a shame, or such a waste, or alas – this meaning is also used in Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia depending on the inflection
Her English is poor for someone who studied in the US that is all I am saying. For a woman, who tend to have better language skills than men, its particularly poor. I am being honest.
As for intelligence. She is not the sharpest cookie relative to other politicians. But being a leader is more than just intelligence. That said I don’t think her biggest weakness was her intelligence, but the fact she was being pressured by her brother. Thaksin wanted to come back to Singapore in the next couple of years, and wasn’t willing to wait. Had he been patient, Yingluck, might have through time, replace enough generals that were loyal to her. But it could take 7-8 years. Thaksin couldn;t wait that long.
[…] New Mandala How much of the ‘new’ politics of president-elect Joko Widodo will get through Indonesia’s transfer of power, asks Hamish McDonald…read more […]
The most useful additions would, like several of those already suggested, be words for which there is no simple, direct translation to English. They should add not only new words but new meanings to English.
My suggestion would be krengjai — usually used as a verb or an adjective to mean being concerned for the feelings or serenity of another. Translations such as considerate or respectful don’t quite work because they don’t capture the idea that krengjai connotes that one should not upset someone’s feelings even when it would be in their best interests. Example: I didn’t tell you the bad news because I felt krengjai. Or: I didn’t report the problems with the new design because I krengjai the boss.
Krengjai is often used in the negative as: You don’t have to krengjai me, drink as much of my whiskey as you want.
This is one of a large number of expressions in Thai that include the word jai — heart. So:
Sia jai — sorry
Dee jai — happy
Plaek jai — surprised
Plee-an jai — change of heart
Pralaht jai — astonished
Cheu-a jai — trust
Chawp jai — pleased with
Taam jai — go along with
Tang jai — be determined
Kamlang jai — determination or spirit
Gloom jai — sad or worried
Hen jai — sympathise
Jing jai — sincere
Kao jai — understand
Man jai — feel certain
Poom jai — feel proud
Paw Jai — satisfied
Sabai jai — content
Sao jai — sad
Son jai — interested
Wai jai — trust
But most of these jai words, unlike kreng jai, can be translated accurately and simply with existing words in English.
There seems to an echo chamber here. To be honest, Yingluck’s English is not very good for a person who has an MBA from a US university. If she did not go to US, her English would be very good.
Here English is only a bit better than Joko Widodo’s English, and he never have the opportunity to study in the US.
As for Yingluck being stupid. Intelligence is one trait of a leader, but not the most important. The vast majority of people here, including people with PhDs, could last a week as Prime Minister of any country, let alone a country as dysfunctional as Thailand. Most of us would be in the corner crying for our mommy within the first week of being Prime Minister of Thailand. I definitely would, and unlike most of you here, I have been inside a Third World jail cell.
That said her biggest mistake was the amnesty bill and rice scheme. She would still be PM if she didn’t do anything. None of those things were necessary for her to remain in power.
Anies Baswedan of Paramadina University is the grandson of a Yogya Masyumi figure called A.R.Baswedan. Anies himself is, however, not especially connected with any of Masyumi’s self-professed but sadly unworthy heirs, such as Yusril or M.S.Ka’ban.
Having acquired an American Ph.D like Andi Mallarangeng, SBY’s one-time protégé who fell by the wayside and who would have breathed fresher air had he stayed in America, Anies dabbled with the Democrat Party sufficiently to become a candidate in the more or less still-born Democrat Convention.
This turned out to be an ultra-democratic means of choosing the likely loser of the presidential election while non-democrat Megawati opted for an authoritarian means of choosing the winner.
Anies seems to have been the only horse registered for the Grand Democrat Convention stakes who bolted away in time to join Jokowi’s caravan. But does this really place him outside the ‘political circus’? Not smack in the middle of it?
No doubt Dahlan Iskan, Pramono Edhie and others of the Democrat Party faithful would love to be in Jokowi’s transition team as well. Transition is after all what many of Jakarta’s political swingers are good at.
Jusuf Kalla has considerably more government experience than Jokowi, and he must look condescendingly on some of the president-elect’s more far-fetched notions, such as the ‘mental revolution’.
When Kalla was first elected vice-president, SBY was determined that party executives should not hold ministerial posts. Kalla won that battle very easily. And SBY gave up the battle with every body else as well, Suryadharma Ali being the last, notorious, example.
How many fights with Kalla is Jokowi going to win? ‘Transactional politics’ is after all mother’s milk to Kalla.
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Wisdom of General Prayuth
The appearance of the law must be maintained. Especially when it is being broken.
Bringing Malaysia back to the “middle”
It starts with assumptions ….. If you assume that what was done at merdeka was wrong and that it was a Malay country that somehow allowed bond to become citizens and that this must be corrected now the this article is irrelevant !
Wisdom of General Prayuth
Instead of being side-tracked by questions of Yingluck’s English ability (is Prayuth’s better?) – let’s get back to substantive issues. Essentially what Prayuth is saying is : disenfranchise the poor, and that means the bulk of Isaarn. But he’s obviously NOT so confident tht he has the situation under control there – or indeed over much else of the country, hence his long delay lifting martial law (not even in tourism-earning Chiang Mai). Fact is his coup, and removal has opened a power vacuum. At the remote village level – and elsewhere – in Isaarn, this is now rapidly being filled by the secessionist movement which raised its head in Yingluck’s latter-days. While more broadly Prayuth – having promising so much, and now pontificating so much – has to watch his self-acknowledged “back-pain”, not to mention “black magic”, for every possible stab-in-the-back, while Thai State fissures become ever more obvious – eg. Wongtheyan rival officer faction, Crown Prince’s Lanna-Isaarn army, ubiquitious “water-melon” soldiers. And even Sondhi Limthongkul’s PAD-inclined Manager group !
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
They would make for a very interesting demographic at universities.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
р╕Бр╕▓р╕ер╣Ар╕Чр╕ир╕░ or GALADESA
р╕Бр╕▓р╕ер╕░ (gala) is time. р╣Ар╕Чр╕ир╕░ (desa) is place. Altogether, р╕Бр╕▓р╕ер╣Ар╕Чр╕ир╕░ (galadesa) means ‘place and time’ or propriety, suitability, circumstance, balance, and the like.
As elites have existed for so long in Thailand and the region, the word can be applied to defend our traditionally convenient practices in the ASEAN way.
Human beings must know galadesa and be aware of galadesa when doing things no matter what. What is the detailed component of galadesa? The answer is that it depends on place and time!!! But, the true application of galadesa is to follow the elites or anyone who is looked up to as though they are a good person (р╕Др╕Щр╕Фр╕╡) because they have inherited the right to interpret the meaning according to place and time.
This word is a Thai rhetorical weapon to maintain the establishment and enhance pride in our unique history and cultures. Galadesa trumps all western and global versions of the rule of law, democracy, inequality, justice, honesty, development, etc. Today, Thailand is under a government making happiness for all because of the galadesa–guaranteed by the elites and good guys.
Last but not least, ambiguity is perhaps the real meaning of galadesa. If one day, Thailand and the region can be prosperous and peaceful, we would claim that we do things according to our galadesa, not western values.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Jambu is the name of a fruit but now means hot young man. Everyone know the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar is full of jambus and they all have their abangs (big brother).
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Katak means frog in Malay but now if you say a politician ‘kataked’ means he jumped between parties in an unscrupulous manner. A lot of politicians in Sabah kataked in the 1994 elections.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Not in Thailand. Not anymore. Gig or gik in Thailand almost always means something more enticing than a music session.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Of course it sounds a bit like a slogan for our Melbourne colleagues (and our former Dean) at RMIT.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
*must point out this is a very popular folksong in Sabah, an anthem at harvest festival
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
KadazanDusun word ‘aramai-ti’ from Sabah/Malaysian Borneo means cheers. Must be pronounced with gusto. Made popular by visiting (huge) Indonesia street punk band Marginal who spread the word through Indonesia and also Japan. Attached is a Youtube video of them singing the song recorded in Ranau – a town at the base of Mt Kinabalu in Sabah. I’ve witnessed this song being sung by Japanese punks at a beach picnic in Japan (long after Marginal finished their Japan tour) ‘Aramaiti!’ often used there now instead of ‘kampai!’ especially with visiting Malaysian and Indonesian punk friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPpyg3L5_n0
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
in Malaysia we say ‘pokai’ meaning skint, don’t have money. I think originally from a chinese dialect, not sure which, but used by everyone.
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
Rasa
a Malay word to mean taste or feeling or something of deep intuition that you cant quite explain but you simply rasa it
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
sayang is a great word! changes in meaning with inflection – in Filipino Tagalog means such a shame, or such a waste, or alas – this meaning is also used in Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia depending on the inflection
Wisdom of General Prayuth
I never spent 16+ years learning Thai did I.
Her English is poor for someone who studied in the US that is all I am saying. For a woman, who tend to have better language skills than men, its particularly poor. I am being honest.
As for intelligence. She is not the sharpest cookie relative to other politicians. But being a leader is more than just intelligence. That said I don’t think her biggest weakness was her intelligence, but the fact she was being pressured by her brother. Thaksin wanted to come back to Singapore in the next couple of years, and wasn’t willing to wait. Had he been patient, Yingluck, might have through time, replace enough generals that were loyal to her. But it could take 7-8 years. Thaksin couldn;t wait that long.
New president, old politics?
[…] New Mandala How much of the ‘new’ politics of president-elect Joko Widodo will get through Indonesia’s transfer of power, asks Hamish McDonald…read more […]
Competition: Speaking of Southeast Asia
The most useful additions would, like several of those already suggested, be words for which there is no simple, direct translation to English. They should add not only new words but new meanings to English.
My suggestion would be krengjai — usually used as a verb or an adjective to mean being concerned for the feelings or serenity of another. Translations such as considerate or respectful don’t quite work because they don’t capture the idea that krengjai connotes that one should not upset someone’s feelings even when it would be in their best interests. Example: I didn’t tell you the bad news because I felt krengjai. Or: I didn’t report the problems with the new design because I krengjai the boss.
Krengjai is often used in the negative as: You don’t have to krengjai me, drink as much of my whiskey as you want.
This is one of a large number of expressions in Thai that include the word jai — heart. So:
Sia jai — sorry
Dee jai — happy
Plaek jai — surprised
Plee-an jai — change of heart
Pralaht jai — astonished
Cheu-a jai — trust
Chawp jai — pleased with
Taam jai — go along with
Tang jai — be determined
Kamlang jai — determination or spirit
Gloom jai — sad or worried
Hen jai — sympathise
Jing jai — sincere
Kao jai — understand
Man jai — feel certain
Poom jai — feel proud
Paw Jai — satisfied
Sabai jai — content
Sao jai — sad
Son jai — interested
Wai jai — trust
But most of these jai words, unlike kreng jai, can be translated accurately and simply with existing words in English.
Wisdom of General Prayuth
To be honest, I think Yingluck’s English is a whole lot better than your Thai!
To mix up “English literacy” with intelligence? tsk! tsk!
Wisdom of General Prayuth
There seems to an echo chamber here. To be honest, Yingluck’s English is not very good for a person who has an MBA from a US university. If she did not go to US, her English would be very good.
Here English is only a bit better than Joko Widodo’s English, and he never have the opportunity to study in the US.
As for Yingluck being stupid. Intelligence is one trait of a leader, but not the most important. The vast majority of people here, including people with PhDs, could last a week as Prime Minister of any country, let alone a country as dysfunctional as Thailand. Most of us would be in the corner crying for our mommy within the first week of being Prime Minister of Thailand. I definitely would, and unlike most of you here, I have been inside a Third World jail cell.
That said her biggest mistake was the amnesty bill and rice scheme. She would still be PM if she didn’t do anything. None of those things were necessary for her to remain in power.
New president, old politics?
Anies Baswedan of Paramadina University is the grandson of a Yogya Masyumi figure called A.R.Baswedan. Anies himself is, however, not especially connected with any of Masyumi’s self-professed but sadly unworthy heirs, such as Yusril or M.S.Ka’ban.
Having acquired an American Ph.D like Andi Mallarangeng, SBY’s one-time protégé who fell by the wayside and who would have breathed fresher air had he stayed in America, Anies dabbled with the Democrat Party sufficiently to become a candidate in the more or less still-born Democrat Convention.
This turned out to be an ultra-democratic means of choosing the likely loser of the presidential election while non-democrat Megawati opted for an authoritarian means of choosing the winner.
Anies seems to have been the only horse registered for the Grand Democrat Convention stakes who bolted away in time to join Jokowi’s caravan. But does this really place him outside the ‘political circus’? Not smack in the middle of it?
No doubt Dahlan Iskan, Pramono Edhie and others of the Democrat Party faithful would love to be in Jokowi’s transition team as well. Transition is after all what many of Jakarta’s political swingers are good at.
Jusuf Kalla has considerably more government experience than Jokowi, and he must look condescendingly on some of the president-elect’s more far-fetched notions, such as the ‘mental revolution’.
When Kalla was first elected vice-president, SBY was determined that party executives should not hold ministerial posts. Kalla won that battle very easily. And SBY gave up the battle with every body else as well, Suryadharma Ali being the last, notorious, example.
How many fights with Kalla is Jokowi going to win? ‘Transactional politics’ is after all mother’s milk to Kalla.